This invention pertains to a protector for fiber optic splices. It also pertains to the method for making the protector, and the fixtures used with that method.
Frequently the splice is positioned in a chemically hostile environment, and it must be protected. For example, in an optical towed array it is not unusual to immerse the spliced fiber in petroleum based fluids belonging to the isoparafin family, or castor oil derivatives such as Lubricin, subjected to a few thousand (for example, up to 3000) psi at a temperature as high as 80 degrees centigrade.
The breaking strength of the unprotected optical fiber is rapidly degraded. A typical breaking strength of spliced fiber is between 15% and 20% of the breaking strength of the unspliced fiber.
To protect the splice, prior art uses a commercial telecommunication type heat shrink splice protection with a steel rod positioned along the fiber and a heat shrink tube surrounding both the fiber and the steel rod. An alternate protector uses a flexible plastic such as Teflon or Nylon tube filled with an ultra-violet-curable adhesive surrounding the spliced region, adjacent bare fiber and jacket material.